Selected Works

Firm Bio

Terrapin Bright Green was founded on the experience of four leading experts in the green building industry, some of the most highly sought-after advisers in the field. Together, this knowledge has established Terrapin as a trusted consultant to major corporations and developers, governments and other organizations seeking to answer the challenges of high-performance design in the 21st century.

Terrapin is an environmental consulting and strategic planning firm committed to improving the human environment through green development, policy, and related research. Working across the US and internationally, we have been called on by private companies, public institutions, and government agencies including the US Department of Defense, the US White House, the National Park Service, NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, and the New York City Transit Authority. Our founding partners were instrumental in the creation of the US Green Building Council and its LEED rating system, and are frequently asked to serve as board members, jurors, and special advisors on green building.

At the request of governments and private developers, Terrapin’s expertise has shaped the outcome of large-scale planning and design projects around the world. We are the authors of landmark books and articles that have become essential references on green building, including Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate (1998); “Greening the Building and the Bottom Line,” published by the Rocky Mountain Institute; "Biophilic Design: the Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life" (2008); "The Economics of Biophilia: Why Designing with Nature in Mind Makes Financial Sense" (2012); "Midcentury (un)Modern: The Environmental Analysis of the 1958-73 Manhattan Office Building" (2013); and "14 Patterns of Biophilic Design: Improving Health and Wellbeing in the Built Environment".

In pursuing high-performance, environmentally responsive design, we have worked with some of the world’s most innovative architects. Representative projects include Renzo Piano’s LEED Platinum California Academy of Sciences, Rafael Viñoly’s LEED Gold David Lawrence Convention Center, and the LEED Platinum Bank of America Tower. Through strategies for whole-systems thinking and integrated design, we challenge design teams to push towards goals such as “net zero” energy and restorative, regenerative buildings. We believe in finding solutions that effectively mimic natural systems, so that the human environment and the natural world can achieve ever-greater balance. We also believe that high-performance design means fundamentally improving human factors like health and productivity, while improving overall economic and environmental performance.

The firm represents an extensive global network of scientists, engineers, and technical experts on the leading edge of research in their respective fields. We engage these diverse partners as needed, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective to planning, design, and policy questions. Drawing on a collaborative methodology refined over fifteen years of practice, our role is to elevate conversations and help clients break new ground in thinking creatively about environmental opportunities.